Fulcrum
by IoanNemos
Summary: ful·crum; Latin; noun: the support, or point of rest, on which a lever turns in moving a body. ::: Quotes in Latin meet Leverage 100-word drabbles. WIP, but each is complete. Rated T for safety.
1. Contra felicem vix deus vires habet

**Contra felicem vix deus vires habet**  
_Against a lucky man a god scarcely has power_

* * *

"I still don't understand it," Hardison muttered into his orange soda.  
Eliot tipped back his bottle of beer and swallowed the last drops. "Understand what?"  
Hardison looked across the counter where Nate and Sophie were assuring their latest 'project' that everything had gone perfectly. "How he just … I mean … how?"  
Eliot followed his gaze. "He's Nate," he said simply.  
"Billings had more money than _God_ … Hell, Billings had more _influence_ than God, more - more _security_ - Nate had _string_ and that crazy smile of his!"  
Eliot shrugged again. "He's _Nate._" He shuddered suddenly. "Imagine what he could do with _silly_string."

* * *

Hello, Leveragers! (Crew? Gang? What do we call ourselves?) Usually I would never post a WIP, but I've got 150+ (!) Latin phrases I want to use and the drabbles will be either standalones or I'll post the related ones together.

Enjoy and review!


	2. Habeas corpus

**Habeas corpus**  
_You must have the body_

* * *

"I still think this is a bad idea," Eliot muttered. "Are we sure this guy's really gonna confess in front of a whole -" He cut himself off and pasted on a friendly smile when the door opened. "Afternoon, sir! Gotta package for ya!"  
The guy's eyes widened when he saw the enormous wooden box. "What is it?"  
"Uh, some Château Margaux for a Mr. Good-"  
The guy nearly dropped on the spot. "_Get that in the house!_"  
"Don't shift around in there, Parker," Eliot growled as he walked away from the house.  
"Why am I always the dead body?" Parker hissed.

* * *

I hope this reference isn't too obscure ...


	3. Age Fac ut gaudeam

**Age. Fac ut gaudeam**  
_Go ahead. Make my day!_

* * *

He punched the Ugly in the face, then headbutted Uglier.  
He saw Ugly kick for his legs and jumped, trapping Ugly's ankles when he landed.  
He grabbed a thick book from a shelf, slammed it into the bottoms of Ugly's feet, then whipped Uglier in the jaw with it.  
He punched Uglier in the gut, then slammed Uglier's head between his knee and right elbow.  
He staggered when Ugly grabbed his left knee, but bent his left elbow and dropped, slamming into Ugly's solar plexus.  
He grinned like the Cheshire Cat and looked to Stupid. "Been too long. Your turn."


	4. De inimico non loquaris sed cogites

**De inimico non loquaris sed cogites**  
_Don't wish ill for your enemy; plan it_

* * *

"I check the eyes one at a time, right?" Hardison asked nervously, penlight clutched in trembling fingers.  
"Yeah," Eliot replied, half-smiling. "Seriously? You had a flashlight, just laying around?"  
"He hit you in the _head!_ With a _table!_"  
"So I'll kill him later. Hold on a sec." Eliot rolled onto his side and threw up.  
"Oh, for - _Nate!_"  
"Okay, Hardison, don't panic," Nate said over the comm. He sounded the 'somebody's-gonna-get-it' brand of calm. "Eliot, his car is Italian?"  
"Yeah."  
"And those vases were Italian?"  
"Pretty sure, yeah."  
"Okay, here's what we're gonna do - Hardison -"  
Minutes later, Hell broke loose.


	5. Ex gratia

**Ex gratia**  
_Purely as a favour  
_

* * *

"Mr. Ford, I just don't know how I can ever thank you enough!" Mr. Lancaster gushed, shaking Nate's hand energetically.  
"I can think of some ways," Hardison murmured to Eliot, who grumbled in agreement and rubbed his sore shoulder.  
"Oh, it's our pleasure," said Nate again.  
"Please, I've got to do something for you!"  
Nate pulled a hand free and patted Mr. Lancaster's shoulder. "We don't need money."  
"Our pleasure, my ass," Eliot muttered darkly.  
"Well, I guess I'll just owe you one!"  
Nate's smile became somewhat predatory. "Yep."  
Mr. Lancaster's expression changed slowly as Nate's response sank in. "Uh …"

* * *

Thanks to **gibbsrossi** for your reviews! :)


	6. Machina improba!

**Machina improba! Vel mihi ede potum vel mihi redde nummos meos!**  
_You infernal machine! Give me a beverage or give me my money back!_

* * *

"You don't like Easter?" Parker exclaimed. "Why? Bunnies!"  
"Bad memories," Eliot growled.  
"Marshmallows!"  
Hardison finally spotted a soda machine. "Jackpot! Hold up." He dug in his pocket for change. Eliot shook his head in disgust.  
"Chocolate!"  
"Bad memories of what?" Hardison inserted quarters and pushed the buttons.  
"Bad stuff," Eliot muttered vaguely, not making eye contact.  
The machine hummed, clunked, then quieted without depositing a soda. Hardison hit the Coin Return button. Nothing. "Oh, c'mon!" Eliot waved him away, surveyed the machine, then slammed a palm into a certain spot. A soda clunked down and Hardison's change appeared.  
"Chocolate-covered marshmallows!"


	7. Damnant quod non intellegunt

**Damnant quod non intellegunt**  
_They condemn what they do not understand_

* * *

"We're like a family," she says, and doesn't know why this makes him angry.  
"Family? Them? They're thieves!"  
"So are we," she points out mildly.  
"That one guy," he says, pointing a shaking finger at the hitter. "He's a thug! And insane!"  
She exclaims indignantly. "Eliot is _not_ a thug."  
"That blonde woman -"  
"Parker's lovely once you get to know her."  
"That hacker guy is out of his mind, too!"  
"Isn't everyone in life?"  
"And that alcoholic -"  
Her hand connects solidly with his cheek. "We're helping _you_, dear cousin," she says icily. "I wouldn't forget that, if I were you."

* * *

Not best pleased with this chapter, but I was feeling the pressure to update and this kind of flowed.


	8. Ira furor brevis est

**Ira furor brevis est**  
_Anger is a brief insanity. (Horace)_

* * *

His vision tunneled and everything else in the world became background noise. He was barely aware of shoving Hardison back down as he stood.  
His running footsteps shook loose the fury he kept on the back burner. The fury they helped sometimes to lessen but could never quite calm. The fury he now unleashed primarily when they were hurt.  
The thugs never knew what hit them.  
He stood for a moment in a still environment, panting, making sure the wrong bodies didn't move. He pushed the fury back onto its burner and picked Parker up carefully. "Nate, I've got her."


	9. Id imperfectum manet dum confectum erit

**Id imperfectum manet dum confectum erit**  
_It ain't over until it's over_

* * *

"Any broken bones?"  
"No. Really? Seriously?"  
"Could be worse."  
"Don't even start."  
"Chill, man. Look, I bet you can boost me outta here."  
"Not sure my shoulder can take it. And even if I could, then what?"  
"I dunno, I'd find a rope or something!"  
"_Seriously?_ This is not a video game, man!"  
"Okay. Okay, have it your way. Give up. That works too."  
"I ain't giving up!"  
"Sure sounds like it to me."  
"We're in a freakin' well!"  
"It could've been a well with _water_ in it!"  
"Dammit, Hardison!"  
"You're just mad you don't have a comeback."  
"_Dammit,_ Hardison!"

* * *

You know that little voice in the back of your head that says you're forgetting something? Mine's been muttering _Fulcrum_ for a while and I only really heard it a day or two ago and I had work [RAMBLE/VAGUE COMPLAINING EXPUNGED]. Anyway, sorry for the delay.


	10. Forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit

**Forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit**  
_Perhaps someday we will look back upon these things with joy_

* * *

"This one's all you," Eliot hisses through his teeth, picking up his luggage.  
"I _told_ you about the tidal wave!" Hardison hisses back.  
"Your character was The Boy Who Cried Wolf! You didn't use the code word for 'I'm not lying this time!'"  
"But that _isn't_ my fault, 'cos _somebody else_ came up with that!" Hardison shoots Parker a dirty look.  
The blonde glares back. "It isn't _my_ fault nobody remembers what my favorite kind of chocolate is!"  
"They're _all_ your favorite!" both boys protest.  
"What a disaster," Sophie mutters to Nate.  
"At least Montserrat's funny now," he replies.

* * *

Ah, Montserrat, the Emerald Isle of the Caribbean ...


	11. Carpe diem

**Carpe diem**  
_Seize the day_

* * *

"You've _never_- Mm-mm. Mm-_mm_. This has to change."  
"For cryin' out loud-"  
"Right here, right now."  
"Seriously?"  
"C'mon, man, let's go."  
"No, let go of me, man! I got stuff to do!"  
"Like what?"  
"What do you mean, what?"  
"What _kind_ of stuff?"  
"You have to ask that?"  
"I'm genuinely asking-"  
"No, you aren't, because if you _were_, you would _know_ that we have one week -_one_- to set up a Johnny Raincloud and _two_ Belgian Coffeeshops, not to mention I'm catering a freakin' Bar Mitzvah-"  
"Nothing is more important right now than you seeing _The Princess Bride_. Let's go."

* * *

I've always loved the ridiculous, incomprehensible names for con jobs.

Rusty: You'd need at least a dozen guys doing a combination of cons.  
Danny: Like what, do you think?  
Rusty: Off the top of my head, I'd say you're looking at a Boeski, a Jim Brown, a Miss Daisy, two Jethros and a Leon Spinks, not to mention the biggest Ella Fitzgerald ever.  
~ the _Ocean's Eleven_remake

Also, I apologize for how freakin' long it's taken me to update this. :/ I'll try to get one written every week ...


	12. Desunt cetera

**Desunt cetera**  
_The rest is missing_

* * *

Three faces look back at him; they share an expression that redefines 'shifty'. He sighs. "Seriously? You're- None of you are going to own up to this?"  
Parker folds first. "I didn't do it!"  
"Shut up, Parker!" Eliot hisses.  
Hardison folds next. "It was Eliot's idea!"  
"_Dammit_, Hardison, that's _bull_-"  
"I don't care whose idea it was," Nate interrupts, holding up a hand. The three quiet immediately, glowering at each other. "I just want to know what happened to the rest of this tape."  
"What rest of the tape?"  
"Nothing!"  
"What, you don't believe us?"  
At least they're shifty together.

* * *

Um. Been a while. [/CaptainObvious] So much for every week. X( Life intervened, as Life is wont to do, that self-important busybody.

Not exactly what I had in mind for this phrase, but, whatever. Something got written.

Whatever you're picturing happened here to produce such shiftiness is probably funnier than what I had in mind, but in my own head it involves someone getting defenestrated. I wanted it to be Sterling but Sterling. Never. Loses. so that wouldn't work, and if it was one of the Kids they'd totally tattle on the others ("Eliot and Parker _threw me out a freakin' window!_" "'I got thrown out a window!' Get over it!") so that wouldn't work either. Maybe the Belgian Coffeeshop went south.

Also: yes, Sphinx, I made up those con names. I'm glad you like them as much as I do. XD

[end novel-length author's note]


	13. Amat victoria curam

**Amat victoria curam**  
_Victory favors those who take pains_

* * *

"You can't tell me you saw _this_ coming," the gang boss snarls, waving a gun at the ceiling as he paces in front of a handcuffed Nate. "You haven't talked to your team in 24 hours, so who knows _what_-"  
**_CRASH  
_**The gang boss stares in mixed horror and admiration at the truck half-way through the wall. Eliot jumps out of the cabin and knocks down two stunned mooks with as many punches. Parker tasers the last one, and from the passenger seat Hardison gives Nate a thumb's-up.  
Nate smiles. "I thought I told you, Pete: we plan for _everything._"

* * *

_I LIIIIIIIIVE_ ::is shot::

So, um, yeah. Here, have an update. ::slinks away::


	14. Dum tempus habemus, operemur bonum

**Dum tempus habemus, operemur bonum**  
_While we have the time, let us do good_

* * *

"That was a close one," Nate says softly to Eliot once the others have gone.  
Eliot shrugs. "Aren't they all?"  
"I think we need to talk about that."  
A calm shake of the head. "No we don't."  
"If you'd died today-"  
"Don't go down that road. I'm a hitter, Nate: taking the blows or the bullets, that's my job. And my past's a bad one, you know that. But every day that I'm out there watching your back, keeping thugs off of Parker or Hardison or Sophie, that's a good day." He nods slowly, at equilibrium. "A day not wasted."

* * *

Not exactly how I wanted this one to go, but since when do any of these obey me?

And yeah, two in under twenty-four hours. D: Yes, I am trying to kill you with shock. :D


End file.
